Duncan & Fraser Ltd. 1865-1927
"Police Statements"

Franklin Street the day of the fire. Photo courtesy SLSA B46119.

As the hours pass by on Wednesday
21st February the sequence of events from the disastrous fire start to unfold.
It became immediately obvious that the former one acre factory making over
2,000 car bodies per year supplying not only South Australia and Broken Hill
in New South Wales, but also Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland was
totally destroyed. Fortunately there was no loss of human life and 8 cars were saved.

Employees Mr. Fenn (Night Care Taker) and Mr. Coumbe (car washer) were the only two people that were actually in the factory as the fire broke out. Both of these employees first saw the fire around the same time, but from different points within the factory. They both report hearing the sounds of cracking of wood and glass. Having seen smoke from the top floor of the south eastern corner
of the factory they raised the alarm. They then tried to save what ever they
could from the premises until stopped by the police for safety reasons.

We know both how and when the fire brigade were called, but how did the Duncan
family find out? This question is answered for us in Mr. Fenn's statement.
Once the police stopped him from re-entering the factory he followed company
procedures and went down to a public phone at the Adelaide G.P.O. where he
phoned the Factory Superintendent, Howie Spafford. Howie in turn notified
Robert Duncan, a Company Director.

Eye witness accounts all corroborate the time and source from when fire and
smoke were first seen. It is interesting to note that police also managed
to save all the horses from Kendall's Central Horse Bazaar from an adjacent
stable in Bentham Street.

The Morning After...

Fireman Packing Up

It is all over. The firemen are clearing up and packing away their equipment. In the distance the police line are still controlling the now dwindling crowds of onlookers.

The South Australian Farmer's Co-operative Ltd. building built in 1899 can
be seen on the right of the photo. It was saved because of the great work
from the S.A. Fire Brigade and an internal sprinkler system. This preventative
measure that was not fitted in the Duncan & Fraser factory.

Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B34375.

Fireman Packing Up (view #2)

The fireman from the photo above packing up their ladders.

The fire started in the sewing machine area behind the far right window (above the letters "TE" on Limited) on
the top floor, basically the direction the ladder is pointing.

The remains of one of the main stair cases to the top floor can just be seen
through what remains of one of the great front windows.

Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B34374.

A Policeman Out Front

A policeman patrols the front of the factory, a fireman is still inside the rubble.

People from the company are beginning to look inside and beginning to gain a full picture
of the situation and the saddening propostion now facing the company.

They say 24 hours is a long time in business. In this case it was less than 3 hours
that totally changed the course of the company.

Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B1200.

Just A Facade Remains...

They say a picture is "...worth a thousand words..." and here is another one from that eventful morning.

Now the smoke has cleared, this elevated view was taken from the opposite side of Franklin Street and clearly shows the ruins of the once mighty 2 storey factory totally destroyed on the morning of Wednesday 21st February, 1923.

In the cold light of day sadly only the charred facade of the once great factory
remains. The damage from the fire was so intense this could not be saved.
It quickly became apparent that the facade would have to be demolished and
the site cleared before rebuilding could start. Even the Adelaide iconic "Ford-Standard-Argyll"
neon sign erected in 1909 was also part of what was lost. The combined total
value of destruction from both Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and the South Australian
Farmer's Co-operative Ltd. was over £105,000.

One thing was for certain, the public face of this portion of Franklin Street would never look the same again.

This is another wonderful photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B46119.

Surviving Police Statements

Once the immediate danger had
passed from the fire then came the saddening but necessary task of South Australian
Fire Brigade compiling their report for the State Coroner. Part of the process
was the police interviewing and taking statements from witnesses awake at
the time of the fire. The owners of the company had to be interviewed and
the inevitable questions about insurance and the value of the policies taken out.

For the record the Directors of Duncan & Fraser Ltd. & Duncan Motors Ltd. were insured with the Eagle Star and British Dominion Insurance Company of King
William Street, Adelaide for buildings, plant and equipment for a total value of £65,000.

Robert Duncan

Robert Duncan, a Director of Duncan and Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Limited was the first of the brothers to arrive and see the factory ablaze. Robert States:-

“I am a Director of the Firms of Duncan and Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. I first
received news of the fire by telephone from Mr. Spafford, the factory superintendent,
who had received his information from Mr. Fenn, shortly after 6 A.M. on the 21st February.
I immediately came into the factory from my home at Kingswood, and when I reached the
scene the whole building was well alight and the fire had also reached the premises of
the South Australian Farmers Cooperative Union Limited. From information that I have
received it seems that the fire commenced on the second floor of our factory, there were
three electric motors on this floor and also a number of sewing machines. There had not
been anybody on this floor since 6 P.M. on the 20th February when the employees ceased
work. I am at a loss to know how the fire originated on that floor and I cannot think of
any probable cause.”

Robert Duncan’s statement to the
police taken on site the morning of the fire has an anomaly; he states where
he believes the fire started. Unfortunately Robert does not share where he
obtained this piece of information in his statement.

The timing of the events from the morning show that he was phoned around 6
am by Howie Spafford. Assuming he took just 15 minutes to get dressed, start
his car and drive 4 miles from his residence at Kingswood to the factory and
park his car somewhere places him at the scene no earlier than 6.15 am. In
other words at least half an hour after the alarm was first raised. By 6.15
am the factory was well ablaze with multiple fire units frantically trying to contain
the fire and save the South Australian Farmer's Co-operative Ltd.s' buildings.

How would Robert actually know for a fact at this time where the fire started?
The answer is he simply could not have. Quite possibly this information was
ascertained by talking to their employees or an eye witness from the crowd
of onlookers.

Stan Stewart

Police Constable Stan Stewart,
an officer at the scene, concluded his initial interviews and filed this first
report at the Adelaide City Watch House:

"At about 5-40 A.M. on the 21st February 1923, a fire occurred on the premises of Duncan
and Fraser Ltd., Duncan Motors Limited, and the South Australian Farmers Co-Operative Union
Limited, Franklin Street Adelaide. The fire brigade received a call from the Franklin
Street alarm at about 5-45 A.M. The brigade was quickly on the scene in full strength in
charge of Deputy Chief Superintendent Cooper, assisted by the suburban brigades. The fire
commenced on the second floor of Duncan and Fraser Limited, and Duncan Motors Limited,
and spread rapidly to the adjoining premises of the South Australian Farmers Co Operative
Union Limited. The fire brigade succeeded in obtaining control of the fire after about
three hours fighting. Every inquiry has been made to try and ascertain the cause of the
outbreak, but as the second floor of Duncan and Fraser Limited premises had not been used
since 5 P.M. on the 20th February. No information could be obtained that could throw any
light on the cause of the fire. Deputy Chief Supt. Cooper was interviewed and he stated
that the whole of the second floor of Duncan and Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Limited
were well alight when the brigade commenced work consequently he could not form any idea
as to what may have been responsible for the origin of the fire.

The manager of the Eagle,
Star and British Dominion Insurance Company Adelaide was interviewed and he stated that
the premises and contents of Duncan and Fraser Limited and Duncan Motors Limited Franklin
Street Adelaide were insured in a joint policy with his office for the sum of £90,500. A
claim amounting to about 85 per cent of the policy had been made and negotiations are
proceeding for a satisfactory settlement of the claim. The manager of the Commonwealth
Insurance Company of Australia Franklin Street Adelaide was interviewed and he stated
that the premises and contents of the South Australian Farmers Co-Operative Union Limited
of Franklin Street Adelaide were insured in a joint policy in his office for the sum of
£82350. A claim amounting to about 50 per cent of the policy, namely £40,000 had been
made and negotiations are proceeding for a satisfactory settlement of the claim."

Police Constable Stewart was able to conduct further interviews during the day and filed
a second, more detailed report:

“The fire brigade succeeded in obtaining control of the fire after about three hours
fighting. Every inquiry has been made to try and ascertain the cause of the outbreak,
but as the second floor of Duncan & Fraser Ltd. premises had not been used since 5 P.M.
on the 20th February. No information could be obtained that could throw any light on the
cause of the fire. Deputy Chief Supt. Cooper was interviewed and he stated that the whole
of the second floor of Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. were well alight when
the brigade commenced work consequently he could not form any idea as to what may have been
responsible for the origin of the fire. The manager of the Eagle, Star and British
Dominion Insurance Company, Adelaide was interviewed and he stated that the premises and
contents of Duncan & Fraser Limited and Duncan Motors Ltd. Franklin Street, Adelaide were
insured in a joint policy with his office for the sum of £90,500. A claim amounting to
about 85 per cent of the policy had been made and negotiations are proceeding for a
satisfactory settlement of the claim.

Having interviewed Mr. Robert Duncan of Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and Duncan
Motors Ltd. in whether there was any device or any similar apparatus installed
at their factory to cause a warning to be given in the event of an outbreak
on the premises, and it was ascertained that there was not an apparatus
of any kind installed on the premises to indicated an outbreak of fire.
Mr. Robert Duncan also stated that it had been the practice of the Firm
of Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. to keep the value of the
stock held at the factory in Franklin Street Adelaide, up to the full
strength of the amount covered by that portion of the insurance policy,
namely £65,000. The balance of the policy provides for £15,000 for plant
and machinery, and the balance of £10,500 covered the insurance on the
premises at Franklin Street. There was a valuation of the stock made on
the 10th of February 1923, by an officer of the Eagle, Star and British
Dominion Insurance Company at the Franklin Street factory, with the assistance
of an employee of my firm, and was found that the value of the stock held
was practically of the same value as the £65,000 shown on the i insurance
policy. It has always been the practice of the firm to keep a check on
the values of all motor cars and other goods leaving the factory at the
end of each day, and these cars always replaced first opportunity from
the bulk store at North Adelaide, where they have over (250) motor cars
stored for assembling and sale at the Franklin Street premises.

During the month of January of the present year
there were (103) motor cars sold from the factory premises in Franklin Street,
and these cars have been replaced from day to day from the bulk store in North Adelaide.
There are (200) motor cars under shipment to arrive at Port Adelaide to the order of
Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd., during the week ending the 3rd March 1923.
The amount set apart in our insurance policy with the Eagle Star and British Dominion
Insurance Company in reference to the stock held at the Franklin Street factory has not
been altered during the last two years when it was fixed at £65,000. It was a condition
of the policy in respect to the stock held in the Franklin Street factory, to keep the
value of same as near as possible to that amount, and they have always endeavored to
carry out their obligations in that respect.”

Mr. Rees.

Mr. Rees, Manager of the Eagle Star and British Dominion Insurance Company of King
William Street, Adelaide lodged this report the same day of the fire. It stated for the
police:

“Mr. R.M. Steele, Fire Adjuster, Grenfell Street Adelaide
has been appointed Adjuster by my office in respect to the fire at Duncan
& Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. Mr. Steele is now engaged on adjusting
the claims. It has always been the practice of my company to periodically
adjust the valuation held by Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd.
at their factory at Franklin Street Adelaide, and to keep it as near the
amount insured for-namely-£65,000 as could be conveniently carried out.
The amount of stock insurance was fixed at £65,000 two years ago and only
on the 10th of February last there was valuation of the stock held at
the Franklin Street premises. As is set out in the conditions of the policy
held in our office and it was found that the value of the stock on hand
was approximately £65,000 the amount set out in the policy. As far as
my office is concerned, in respect to the claims received from Duncan
& Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. we do not desire that a Colonial
Enquiry be held, as we are satisfied that there are not any suspicious
circumstances connected with the origin of the fire. As far as our knowledge
goes in the matter, and we are also satisfied that the stocks held by
Duncan & Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. on the date of the fire was
as near to the amount shown in the policy namely £65000, as it was possible
to be in the carrying on of the business affairs of the two companies.
The policy held in my office also provided for £15,000 for plant and machinery
insurance, and the balance of £10,500 covered the insurance on the buildings.
The method of organisation and management of the firms of Duncan & Fraser
Ltd. and Duncan Motors Ltd. has always been very satisfactory to our Office,
and at various times extensive alterations have been carried out at our
directions in respect to insurance matters when the same has been thought
advisable by Inspectors from our Office.”

The South Australian Farmer's Co-operative Limited

S.A. Farmer's Co-op building C1913.
Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia SRG804/2/2.

The South Australian Farmer's
Co-operative was formed in 1888 by reorganising the floundering and unsuccessful
South Australian Mutual Association. The initial success of the Co-op can
be directed attributed to it's first Managing Director, highly energetic and
prominent land owner, John Pearce.

Set up to assist farmers, the Co-op sold anything from tools to furniture
and everything in between.

By 1898 they were in a strong enough financial postion to invest in a vacant
block of land on the corner of Franklin & Bentham Streets, Adelaide. They
commissioned a handsome 2 story building for their needs which was completed
by 1899 giving the S.A. Farmer's Co-op their first permanent home.

Their new next door neigbour was Adelaide's premier tram & coach building
firm of Duncan & Fraser. The edge of the factory can be just seen in the above
photo.

By the early 1920's S.A. Farmer's Co-op had prospered and found the need to
expand on numerous occasions even adding another floor to their building in
Franklin Street around 1917. Duncan & Fraser's factory next door blocked any
expansion to the west, so they expanded in Bentham Street northwards towards
Waymouth Street.

By the time of the fire S.A. Farmer's Co-op occupied over two thirds of Bentham
Street where their clothing, furniture, merchandising and machinery areas
were centred. They were also the agents for Gray motor cars.

The Fire & S.A. Farmer's Co-op Ltd.

Much has been written over the
years about the fire and Duncan & Fraser. We forget that the South Australian
Farmers Co-Operative Union Limited based their organisation in Franklin Street
and they too sustained serious fire damage.

S.A. Farmer's Co-op Ltd. seemed to be a more progressive company by incorporating
a fire sprinkler system in all their buildings. This coupled with the early
alarm by Police Constable Thorsen and diligent work by the firemen of the
S.A. Fire Brigade all attributed to minimising the damage to both their main
building in Franklin Street and their other buildings in Bentham Street.

Unfortunately the heat from the fire from Duncan & Fraser's behind them was
so intense it rendered part of their sprinkler system in their machinery area
inoperative.

Charles Shannon

"I am the Chairman of Directors of the South Australian Union Ltd. of Franklin and Bentham Streets Adelaide. I heard of the fire at 7-00 A.M. on the 21st February when some person telephoned me to that effect. I immediately went to the scene of the fire which was then burning fiercely on our premises in the hardware and machinery department. Other portions of our premises were saved from the fire on account of a sprinkling system which had been installed, and which acts automatically when the temperature exceeds 180 degrees. It was the fierceness of the fire where it attacked our premises from Duncan and Fraser Ltd. and Duncan Motors Limited that damaged the sprinkler and rendered it practically ineffective in the hardware and machinery department. Our premises and contents are insured in the office of the Commonwealth Insurance Company of Australia, for £82,300 and representatives from the Insurance office have visited our premises on the 21st February in respect to an adjustment of the claim arising from the fire. £40,000 has been mentioned as being the amount of the claim arising from damage to stock and building and negotiations are proceeding on about that basis for a satisfactory settlement of our claim."

Bentham Street

Bentham Street On Fire

The buildings of the South Australian Farmers Co-op well ablaze with the firemen working hard to contain the fire.

The firemen were gaining access through the adjacent building as seen in the
photo and fighting the fire from inside this building.

Another crowd of onlookers has gathered in Waymouth Street where the police
had drawn a safety barrier. The "Thistle Hotel" on the corner or Waymouth
& Bentham Streets can been seen in the background.

This photo was also rescued from the bin after being thrown out from a local company's boardroom upgrade.

Photo courtesy of Karol Stadulka.

Bentham Street

The Firemen now extinguishing
the embers later in the morning. The Factory of Duncan & Fraser Ltd. was literally
right behind these buildings.

In my research I found a hand drawn diagram from the insurance agency re the
construction of a firewall between the two factories dated just weeks before
the fire. Duncan & Fraser had removed some corrugated iron and added some
kind of fire protection as requested. The improvements had been signed off
by the assessor.

What becomes clear is the S.A. Farmer's Co-op had was a large and obviously
thriving organisation.

Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B34376.

A Building Lost

Another view of Bentham Street and the fire hoses are still lying on the ground.

The firemen worked hard to contain the fire, but unfortunately their efforts
were in vain. The heat of the fire from Duncan & Fraser was so intense it
literally melted the sprinkler system in this building rendering it inoperative.

The building on the right was saved, but the building in the middle with the
three arches could not and was later demolished.

Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B46119.

Can you help?

Do you have any more information
on these events? Have you an old photograph(s) hidden away in those old, dusty
family albums? Do you have anything pertaining to either Duncan & Fraser Ltd.
or Duncan Motors Ltd.? perhaps a relative that worked for the South Australian
Farmer's Co-operative?

If the answer is 'yes' to any of these questions I would love to hear from you.